Mark turned his head fast toward his wife.
Victoria's face turned completely pale like snow.
She shook her head back and forth quickly.
Victoria: That is a lie!
Victoria: She was careless and bumped into it!
Mark looked between the two women in confusion.
His mind was spinning with terrible thoughts.
He loved his wife very deeply and trusted her.
But Elena had just saved his daughter's life.
Mark bent down to reach into the pool.
He lifted baby Lily gently from Elena's arms.
The child was shivering from the cold water.
Mark wrapped his shirt around the little girl.
Elena pulled herself up onto the pool ledge.
She sat on the wet tile gasping for air.
Elena: I saw her hand push the stroller!
Elena: She watched it roll into the water!
Victoria walked toward Mark with tears in eyes.
Victoria: Mark, you know how much I love Lily!
Victoria: This crazy woman is trying to frame me!
Victoria: She wants to ruin our family and marriage!
Mark looked at Victoria with a hard stare.
He felt a strange knot in his stomach.
Something about Victoria's story felt wrong today.
He remembered her asking about his life insurance policy.
She had asked about the inheritance details last week.
He had ignored those questions as simple curiosity.
Now those thoughts came rushing back into mind.
Mark: Why were you standing so close, Victoria?
Victoria: I was just adjusting her sunshade, darling!
Elena stood up on her shaky legs slowly.
Water dripped heavily onto the stone floor below.
Elena: Check the security cameras on the roof!
Victoria gasped sharply as Elena spoke those words.
Her eyes darted up toward the black camera lens.
The lens was pointed directly at the pool area.
Victoria tried to cover her panic with anger.
She stepped closer to Elena with clenched fists.
Victoria: You have no right to speak to us!
Victoria: Get off our property right this second!
Mark stepped firmly between Victoria and the maid.
He held his crying child close to his chest.
Mark: Nobody is leaving this yard right now.
Mark: If anything happens to my daughter, you will pay for this!
He looked directly into Victoria's fearful eyes.
The air became tense and heavy with silence.